Cowen leads tributes to Nollaig Ó Gadhra

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has led tributes to Nollaig Ó Gadhra, the journalist, historian and Irish-language activist who died on Wednesday night at the age of 64.

In a statement issued in Irish, Mr Cowen said he was sorry to hear of the death of Mr Ó Gadhra, a former president of Conradh na Gaeilge and a founder member of Teilifís na Gaeilge.

"He was a proud Irishman who always stood strong on behalf of Irish culture. He was also an eminent historian who contributed much to our understanding of modern Ireland," said Mr Cowen.

A native of Feenagh in Co Limerick, Mr Ó Gadhra was the author of a number of books including biographies of Mahatma Gandhi and Edmund Ignatius Rice.

He also wrote an authoritative history of the first Dáil.

He worked as a journalist, both as a presenter for RTÉ and the Irish language publication Inniú. His articles appeared in many publications and he was a regular correspondent to publications and contributor to current affairs programmes such as Seacht Lá on TG4. He also lectured in journalism in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.

Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said: "I had known Nollaig for many years, was in regular contact with him. He was always ready to share his knowledge and his ideas."